A Spy Among Spies
by Seldavia
Summary: After the Twilight Invasion, some brave souls formed a resistance movement. But the occupying forces have gotten wind of their existence.
1. Chapter 1

No one knew who he was or where he came from.

That was not so unusual these days in the Castle Town. Ever since the Twilight Invasion and subsequent spawning of monsters, many people had fled the hinterlands for the relative protection of the castle walls. The invaders had decimated the castle guard and set the grand towers ablaze, but then left it and its remaining inhabitants alone, like an animal that had ousted another from its burrow.

However benign the new ruler might be within the walls, fleeing outsiders told chilling tales of nameless shadows that devoured human and Goron alike, leaving nothing behind. The rumors said that even the Zora had been attacked, their Queen killed, their Prince in exile somewhere in the town.

Telma knew all of the rumors, and could verify the truth of many deemed too frightening to be real. She also knew quite a few things about what went on inside the castle, for instance that their Princess was alive but imprisoned. As long as their monarch drew breath, much of Hyrule believed, there was still a chance for their country. After all, hadn't the Princess herself disappeared for seven years in the old tales of the Hero?

So the thin man with scarred arms was just another visitor as far as Telma was concerned. The hood he wore over his face was no different from the six or seven others that dotted the tables. She did take note of the way he moved, with a easy grace, as if accustomed to slinking in the shadows. He did not dwell in the doorway like most, but went straight to the bar, and acknowledged her with a nod of the head.

"What can I get for you, honey?" she asked, putting on her best business smile.

He made a quick look around. "A place this big must have some kind of house specialty." His voice was low, and calm.

"One special, coming up," Telma replied. The visitor had piqued her curiosity. Most outsiders came in looking lost and afraid. This man was obviously not from the town, but in his travels had apparently not come across anything frightening enough to shake him. Hyrule could always use people like that. She selected a home brew of her own making, something that had been passed down from her mother's side of the family.

He took a drink, pausing halfway through. "Unusual stuff, this."

Telma winked. "Old family recipe. Said to be handed down from the desert bandits."

He snorted. "That's quite a claim, lady."

"Every good bar needs at least one."

"Fair enough." He said nothing more, but drained his drink, left a few coins on the table, and departed. Disappointed, Telma cleaned his glass and went back to work as usual.

Not for long. He came again two nights later, but this time requested plain beer. "The desert brew too much for you to handle?" Telma joked.

He scowled, and looked as if he wanted to say something more, but didn't. She tried to strike up a conversation but got nothing out of him, just a grunt of thanks as he tossed his coins on the table.

So when he came the third time, Telma resolved to say nothing after fulfilling his order. He didn't speak either, but she noticed him watching Rauru and the others in the side room. He did so surreptitiously, so subtle that she would not have noticed if she hadn't been doing the same to him every moment. It occurred to her that he might be a spy from the castle, though she wasn't aware of the usurpers hiring local people to do anything. Their servants were shadows and monsters, and they were anything but subtle.

"So, where are you from?" she asked, trying to shift his focus from the little knot of Resistance members.

"Out of town," he replied, uninterested.

"Yeah, I can see that. But you're not Ordonian, or from the mountains. And you're definitely not from the lowlands."

He stared at her for a long moment, then said, "I am from south of Ordon. And I am looking for work."

She leaned down on the bar. "What kind of work?"

"I am a monster-hunter."

She made a short laugh. "Well, you've come to the right place! But why didn't you say so earlier? I could have hooked you up with a job or two the first time we met."

He took a long drink, as if considering his answer. "I wanted to see if there were any others around, first. I'm only interested in fighting monsters. Not other hunters."

"Trust me, there's more than enough to go around. Is this your first trip to Hyrule?"

"Yes."

"It's not normally like this. But I guess you knew that, right? That must be why you came all the way here for work."

"I do a lot of traveling. I've been to many places."

"Well, we don't have a lot of monster-hunters because we don't usually have a lot of monsters." She lowered her voice. "There was a coup not too long ago."

He took a drink. "I'm not interested in your local politics."

"Fair enough. Just giving you some background. Anyway, that's why you don't have to worry too much about competition."

He put down his glass. "So. Do you have work? Or do I need to speak to someone else?"

"You said you're from south of Ordon, right? Then you must have seen the gangs of Bokoblins in the fields. There's always people willing to trade gold for their hides, to try and keep what's left of the roads relatively passable. Bring the hides to me and I'll pay you the bounty."

He nodded. "Very well. I'll be back in a few days." He tossed his coins on the counter.

"Say, friend, what's your name?" Telma asked with a winning smile.

He frowned, and turned away. "None of your business."

* * *

Four days later he brought in six Bokoblin hides. Telma could not help being impressed with both the size and the number. "Did they give you any trouble?" she asked as she handed over the money.

He pushed a few coins back toward her. "Not really."

She poured his drink. "We can always use talents like yours. Don't be afraid to ask for more work."

He drank in silence for a while, then asked, "What kind of work?"

"Well, we've got messenger duty."

"I've got no horse and I'm not much of a runner."

"There's for-hire bodyguards."

"I don't play well with others."

"Treasure-hunting?"

"I can do that on my own."

She sighed. "Well, there's always more monster-hunting to be done, but you need to be careful. They belong to whoever's running the place now, and he or she or it probably doesn't take kindly to people killing them."

"There's no need for you to worry on my account."

"Hm." Telma crossed her arms, thinking. "I'm guessing that if you can take out Bokoblins so easily that you're good with a blade, but do you have any magic skills?"

"Magic?" He frowned in disbelief. "Is there anyone in this country that has that?"

"Well, whoever brought those things is packing some pretty heavy mana. We don't see much of that here, though of course the tales tell us that such things were more common in the old days."

"Old tales always do. I've seen magic done, but I don't have any myself." He paused for a bit, staring at his glass. "Just let me know if you need any more monsters cleaned out. It's the one thing I know how to do well. Let me worry about their owner. Unless there is anyone else?"

Telma frowned. When the trouble started, she had eagerly watched for any sign of a Hero sent by the Goddesses, assured by Rauru that there was more history than myth on those old stories. But now she was beginning to doubt him.

"No," she said at last. "There isn't. Go to the fields between Kakariko and Ordon – I'll pay you for whatever hides you bring in."

* * *

The man left the bar, weaving his way in between the crowds of people in the streets. Or rather, spirits. For he could see them as they were. But the spirits did not seem to take notice of him, their semitransparent eyes traveling over him and away. He crossed the courtyard with its dry fountain and walked up to the gates, where two guards stood. Neither one acknowledged him, even when passed straight through the solid oak wood.

He walked over the bridge, through the frosted, charred gardens. He passed through a second set of doors, made of stone this time. For he, too, was a spirit, and as he entered the main hall of his palace he changed his ethereal form to reflect the one he had carried in life.

"Zant," said the man. Even without the use of vocal cords his voice echoed throughout the hall. Within moments a hail of twilight descended and coalesced into the form of another man, in foreign robes with sleeves that hung over his hands and an odd helmet that hid his face.

The newcomer knelt, not daring to look up into the golden-eyed face above him, even though he had seen it in a much more impressive form. Whether his head was wreathed in gold fire or crimson hair, this man was still his god. A man that literally held the power of the gods in his hand, as evident by the mark it bore. "Yes, my Master?"

His god's face curled down into a scowl. "Zant. At what point did you think it appropriate to slay the Queen of the Zora?"

"M-my Lord Ganondorf!" Zant squeaked. "I-they would not surrender, so I was forced to take certain measures..."

"Zant." Ganondorf did not raise his voice, but at the sound of his name his charge nearly folded over. "The Zora control the river. They cannot dispel the ice in which you have locked their water."

"I merely was using the same method that you yourself-"

"Zant!" Ganondorf snapped, and he cowered. "How did I know this? I saw the fountain in the court was dry. The people complained to the guards. The guards said the lake was dry. They also said that the winds from the north were unusually cold. And," he said as he leaned down closer to the terrified man, "I heard talk that the Zora Prince was hiding somewhere in the town. There is only one reason he would attempt that journey on his own."

Zant's incoherent mumbling bubbled up from his trembling frame, until finally Ganondorf burst out with an angry roar. "Zant! I did not suffer years in exile in the Twilight Realm for you to destroy the land that I covet. It is not your place to meddle. Your place is on the Twili throne, once I have secured mine. Until then you only do what I tell you, nothing more. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, Master!"

"Then go play your part!"

Zant disappeared. Ganondorf frowned down at his semitransparent form. Until he got his body back, he needed that fool to keep up appearances. But he was hardly worth keeping around if he destroyed Hyrule before Ganondorf could finally come into his own. He would not have even known about the death of the Zora Queen if he had not gone looking for information on his own.

When he had first heard rumors of a resistance movement, Ganondorf wanted to crush it immediately. Yet rooting around the town had given him invaluable information. Perhaps...just perhaps...if he got wind of the presence of a Hero long before he was strong enough to fight, Ganondorf could finally secure Hyrule as his own.


	2. Chapter 2

The snowdrifts extended for more than a mile through the dry river. As much as he missed feeling any sensation that came with a real body, the spirit-Ganondorf had no urge to go tramping through showdrifts. The cold he could take – the desert at night frequently dipped below freezing – but snow melted against warm skin, turning it clammy.

So he passed over them like the ghost he was, frowning at the damage. It had been several weeks since the invasion, and he could not figure out why the river was still locked up in ice. Years ago, he had kept the Zora frozen continually and intentionally, but Zant had merely struck once and left. Ganondorf still remembered the damage the last freeze had done to Hyrule's farms, and he had no intention of repeating it. But if it wasn't magic holding the ice in place, then what was?

The giant waterfall that cascaded down from the lake had frozen entirely. Ganondorf made his way up slowly. He found no sign of life outside the ghost-wolves, but then spirits encased in Twilight would not make any mark in the snow.

Finally, on the far side of the mountain pass, he found what appeared to be a clue. Through a hole in the stone (which had obviously not been there before), a mini-glacier had squeezed and encroached upon the lake. Zant must have made the hole. Remarkably intelligent of him, given that Ganondorf himself had not known what lay beyond the steep mountains surrounding Lake Hylia. Then again, maybe Zant had intended to drain the lake or something and wound up doing this instead.

Suddenly Ganondorf had the feeling he was being watched. He spun around and immediately confronted the strange creature standing there. "What class of being are you?" he demanded as he flashed his dagger, not recognizing the wide-eyed, white-haired beast in front of him.

To his surprise, the creature calmly stepped back and pulled off an elaborate mask, revealing a young woman with a watchful expression and severely styled hair. "I know you. You're that monster-hunter from Telma's."

Ganondorf frowned. He had seen the woman before, probably in the same place, but obviously in different clothing. "Why are you wearing that get-up?" he demanded. "Are you a monster hunter as well?"

She made a short laugh. "This? This is just to keep from scaring off the yeti. They're powerful, but timid creatures. I was going to ask them about the lake, as they come fishing here sometimes. But it looks like that's been answered for me, yeah?"

Ganondorf puzzled briefly over which question he should answer first. "These yeti, are they from the land beyond the mountains?"

She nodded. "As am I. My name is Ashei. I am a descendant of Hylians that traveled to the mountains to open up new territory."

"The land beyond the mountain belongs to Hyrule as well?"

"It's jointly owned with the Zora. When the snow melts, it feeds the lake. My family has permission to travel in the cave complex behind the Queen's Court. It's the network of caves that keeps the lake from freezing. But somehow," she said as she gestured to the glacier, "someone managed to make a direct opening." She sighed. "Well, I guess there's nothing more for me to do here."

Ganondorf took note of the dagger at her hip. "Ever thought of taking on the role of Hero?"

She laughed. "Yeah, like they'd let a woman do it? You obviously haven't been in Hyrule very long. They insist it has to be a boy."

"Their leader is female." Ganondorf had never understood this attitude when the Princess and her bodyguard of the past – two of the most powerful people in the land - had both been female. Or perhaps they hadn't counted Shekiah as people, just like the Gerudo?

"I know. I don't get it either. But..." She stopped herself from saying more, for all the good it did. Ganondorf had already figured that she was part of the little group that met in the bar. She was probably going back there to report to them now. Instead she just shrugged her shoulders. "You ever need anything, you can ask for me at Telma's, yeah? Even if I'm not an official Hero, there's a lot I can do. Not that you seem to need it." She bid him farewell and left.

Ganondorf turned back to the glacier. There was no way he was going to move this thing in the state he was in now. He could think of nothing more to do than return to the castle and contiue work on the new body he was building for himself. Once that was finished, he could finally boot Zant back to the Twilight realm and get started on fixing things here.

He took a quick glance back at the way he came, and froze in place. Out over the vast land, there was now a peek of green in the far corner.

An area of Hyrule no longer covered in Twilight.

* * *

Ordon. The province had not existed back before Ganondorf's exile. Or rather, it had either been self-governing or part of some other country. He had expected the Hero to show up in the sacred grove near the overgrown Temple of Time, but he could see why Farore favored this place. Lush and green, it echoed with the resonance of the old forest guardian, now dead and gone.

In its place, a Light Spirit fed the spring and all the green and growing things that touched its watershed. Ganondorf felt it quail as he passed by; but his interest lay elsewhere.

Presently he came to a large house, that appeared to have been made out of an even larger tree. On the other side he could hear voices, along with the clucking of cuccos. He followed the sounds.

A tiny little hamlet lay in the valley of a small pond. One or two children ran across the pathways, intent on one errand or another. One man worked a hoe through the ground, widening small furrows in a garden. Ganondorf could hear the lowing of cattle further down the path, or at least some sort of animal that sounded like cattle.

A heavily pregnant woman walked down to the creek with a basket full of laundry. Passing close to Ganondorf, she shivered slightly and looked around uneasily, but gave no other sign that she could sense his presence. Free of the Twilight, these people could resume their normal lives without fully knowing what had happened. And without a body, Ganondorf could do little more to them than give them a slight chill on a sunny day.

Her rounded ears betrayed the fact that her people were not part of Hyrule proper. Like his own, they would have been told they could not "hear the gods" and so likely could not aspire to more than farming in their little hamlet. Perhaps they preferred it that way. At any rate, they seemed better off than the Gerudo had been. Perhaps this Princess was smarter than her ancestors. Or at least more forbearing.

Ganondorf could find nothing remarkable about these people. He wandered about their houses, seeing nothing of interest. He made his way back to the tree-house, and entered it.

Right away he found something unusual. Shelves full of books, where the other villagers had shown all the signs of being illiterate. A few little baubles and knicknacks that could not have been made in the village. It was a huge house, but had only one small bed tucked under a window. Most likely it had belonged to some kind of minor lord, a Hylian and his family that had been brought in to oversee the back country for the Crown. Seeing a series of paintings on one wall, he gave them a closer look.

A young man stared back at him, well-built with one muscled arm resting on the back on some horned beast Ganondorf had never seen before. But it was his other hand that caught Ganondorf's eye, and dimmed everything else in the room around it.

The mark of the Triforce.


	3. Chapter 3

The dark veil of Twilight still hung over the land north of Ordon, and Ganondorf took a few moments to knit together his disguise now that he could be seen by other spirits. He had gone no more than a few paces when he heard a voice call out to him. "You there! Have you come from Ordon?"

Ganondorf froze. There was really no other place he could have come from, and he immediately set to work coming up with answers for the inevitable questions. "Yes, I have."

"Then you must have found a way past the barrier! How, pray tell, did you do so?"

Squinting, Ganondorf could make out a tall, well-built man wearing Hyrulean armor stripped of its heralds. Doubtless this man had at one point been in the Royal Army, and had retained his Crown-issued clothing for protection from monsters. Minus the iconography that would have marked him as a traitor. "I passed through easily. This curse, whatever it is, is specific to Hyrule and its inhabitants." Not true, of course, but he doubted this man had the knowledge for a debate about magic.

"Indeed! So I suppose an outsider...hold on, aren't you that monster-hunter?" He took off his helmet, revealing a middle-aged man with rounded ears and an earnest face. "I'm Rusl. Yes, I've seen you at Telma's. Tell me, how is the land faring beyond the dark wall?"

"It fares quite well. There is little sign the darkness has had any effect."

"And the village...did you see a village there? Small, with a goat ranch and a water-wheel?"

"I did, like any other you might see. No apparent damage. The unrest your country has seen must have bypassed it completely."

"Well, not completely," Rusl said, wiping his brow in relief. "We had some trouble with Moblin raiders. We've seen them act up, now and again, but recently they've taken some of our young ones."

"I'm sorry." Ganondorf felt some comment was required and couldn't think of anything appropriate.

"It's all right. I'd ask if you'd seen them there, but there's no way you'd recognize them anyway. I've been trying to find a way back to the village. I live there, you see. But this strange barrier...well. I suppose I'll just have to take the word of a stranger."

"How did you get on the wrong side of the barrier?"

"I was out hunting for our lost children. Three of them, the Moblins took. Then, when I could go no further, I attempted to return home...only to find this barrier in the way. Are you going back to Castle Town? Do you mind if I come with you?"

"Yes I am, and not at all." Ganondorf had already realized that one of these children was probably Farore's Chosen. He clearly lived there, but was not in the village. It was even possible that the Moblins had brought the boy to the castle for interrogation. And if the boy had escaped, Rusl would be able to identify him. Either way, Ganondorf would be able to strike before anyone knew what had happened.

"Ah! Thank goodness. I was in the army for several years, but I've never seen anything like this. Might I ask your name?"

"You may," said Ganondorf, who hadn't yet thought of one. "But I'll decline for now."

"Fair enough. Either way, it's good to finally be in the company of one who's been seen bringing in monster hides instead of wearing them. Have you had any trouble coming this way?"

"Not really." Ganondorf left it at that. He didn't occupy himself with what his servants did in their free time.

The two of them marched along in silence for a while. But as they approached a set of gates, Rusl slowed. "I'd planned on going through Kakariko, but it looks like that may not be an option." He pointed with much gravitas at the Moblin glyphs painted in blood over the bars.

"Does this village have much significance to your people?" Ganondorf had intended to strike the Shekiah capital first, to eliminate the possibility of the fabled shadow-walkers defending their monarch. He'd found out quickly that the once-feared guardians of the Royal Family had dwindled down to almost nothing.

"It's an important trade route," Rusl explained. "The inhabitants are on very good terms with the Gorons. I'd hoped to find some still here, as I'd heard some refugees had ended up in the castle town. But..."

"Then we must take another route."

"I'm not sure I know another way, except for the western pass, which is filled with monsters..."

"Then that is what we will take."

Rusl frowned at him. "I know you are skilled, sir, but I'm afraid I haven't given you a good idea of the danger. I've heard stories from reliable sources about great shadow-birds, and more of the greatbeasts that invaded the castle, not to mention scores of Moblins from the various tribes."

Ganondorf turned away from the gate. "It's either that, or sit here and wait politely for the Moblins here to let you in. Your choice." It didn't take long for him to hear Rusl come trotting up beside him. Ganondorf suppressed a smile as a new plan came into his mind. "It's a good day and night's walk from here. Think you can stay awake?"

Rusl fingered his battered, Crown-issued sword hilt. "I think I don't have much of a choice."

The pair strode purposefully across the flatlands, without being troubled until they came to a small, rickety bridge that led into a narrow valley. Like a troll from a fairy tale, a small bokoblin popped out from underneath, brandishing a club. "This 'ere is my bridge, and yer have to pay a toll!"

Rusl, hoping to avoid a confrontation, reached for his wallet. "How much?"

"Well, enow, lemme see." The creature scratched its chin with a gleeful smile as four more appeared from the shadows. "That'll be...yer head!"

It leaped forward, swinging the club high with a screech, that ended suddenly as its head flew from its shoulders and landed on the ground a short distance from the body. Rusl, sword drawn, watched in surprise as Ganondorf calmly picked up the head and offered it to the monster's companions. "Will his work?"

They yelped and ran off in response.

Ganondorf tossed the thing aside and wiped his sword on the ground. "That was...remarkable," Rusl said at last. "You are truly calm under fire. Did you serve in an army?"

"Of sorts," Ganondorf replied. "My people were rebels. Shall we move on?"

The two of them entered the small valley. "Be careful," Rusl warned. "This is just the type of place for an ambush."

Ganondorf smiled slightly at past memories. "Yes, I know."

They had not gone far when they heard the signature whistle of an arrow. It plunged into the earth aflame several feet in front of them, as if to scare them back to the bridge. Ganondorf stared up among the rocks, and flicked his sword in front of him as another flaming arrow made its way toward his face. The arrow rang aside and landed harmlessly on the ground. He heard another loud ring as one hit the helmet Rusl hurriedly fitted back onto his head.

"They're too far to hit back with the weapons we have. Let's run!" Ganondorf ordered, and Rusl was only too happy to oblige.

The volley of flaming arrows increased. As they came up to a sharp turn, Ganondorf shouted, "Watch the curve!" Rusl nodded and drew his own sword in response.

Two huge Moblins stood blocking their way, each with a spear that had a handle the size of a small sapling. Rusl shouted and flicked his sword, disarming the Moblin easily. Following Rusl's example, Ganondorf knocked the weapon out of his adversary's hand, and the two pushed past their surprised enemies.

A couple thousand yards away, the two stopped for breath."The rocks are narrower here," Rusl noted. "Harder for them to run over them after us."

"And I doubt they'll go chasing after prey when they can just as easily wait for the next ones to come along. We should be close to the fields near the castle, now."

The two emerged near a large plateau that looked out over Eldin Bridge. They made their way quickly to the gates of the Castle Town, scattering the few small monsters that tried to stand in their way. Once safely on the other end of the gates, Rusl clapped a hand on Ganondorf's shoulder with a laugh. "Friend, that was an amazing show of skill and wit. I would buy you a drink, if you will accept it."

Ganondorf smiled as well, but for a different reason. Thinking back to tales too old even for friends of the Royal Family to remember, he settled on the name of the Destroyer's Blade. "And I would accept, friend Rusl. By the way, my name is Ghirahim."


End file.
